Balasinghams arrive in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 October 2002, 09:56 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers’ chief negotiator and political advisor, Mr.Anton Balasingham, and his wife, Adele, arrived in Vanni around 10.15 a.m. Tuesday, LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said. Mr. Balasingham arrived by a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter from Colombo.
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Tamil Organisations condemn killings

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 October 2002, 20:47 GMT]
"Judicial investigation should be held into the killings of innocent Tamils at Kanchirankuda in Ampara district and at Abeyapura in Trincomalee and culprits should be brought to book without delay," said the Humanitarian Agencies Consortium in Killinochchi in memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister and Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Saturday.
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STF atrocities intended to scuttle peace – Karuna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 October 2002, 11:16 GMT]
“The peace talks in Thailand have created confidence among our fighters and our people. In this context, the actions of the STF are aimed at scuttling the peace talks. Our people have faith in future negotiations. But the STF’s atrocities are sowing doubts and confusion in their minds. However, we are observing the ceasefire with vigilance according to the instructions of our national leader,” Col. Karuna, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers in charge of the Batticaloa Ampara districts, told Maj. Gen. (ret) Trond Furhovde, the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission.
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Research Farm charts region's agricultural future

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 October 2002, 04:07 GMT]
A few miles east of Kilinochchi town lies Vattakkatchi which is the site of a sprawling Agricultural Research Farm covering hundreds of acres. Here, bright minds are at work charting the future of small scale industries and agricultural development of the North East region.
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'Armed strength vital for our protection' - Soosai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 October 2002, 20:08 GMT]
More than hundred thousand people from Vavuniya, Jaffna and many parts of the Vanni thronged the Killinochchi grounds and its surroundings to see the military parade of the LTTE's women fighting forces. The parade was followed by series of floats depicting the women fighting units of the LTTE.
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‘Punitha Boomi’ Celebrates 10th Anniversary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 October 2002, 20:25 GMT]
'Punitha Boomi', a boys’ home operating from Oddusuddan in the Vanni region, Saturday celebrated its 10th anniversary. The occasion was also marked by the ceremonial opening of four new halls of residence, a cultural centre, a medical house and an administrative office.
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Jaffna DCC wants North-East governor removed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 October 2002, 20:07 GMT]
The Jaffna District Co-ordinating Committee (JDCC) Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution that the northeast provincial governor Major General (retd) Asoka Jayawardene be removed from the office for failing to co-operate with the local officials in their effort towards development of the district.


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Prosthetic rehabilitation in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 October 2002, 00:37 GMT]
Land mines and aerial bombardment have made hundreds of Tamil civilians disabled. But help for the disabled wasn't immediately forthcoming. Fitting artificial limbs was costly and there was severe shortage of hospitals and medical equipment. The organization, Venpura (White Pigeon), was born to address this need. Following the opening of its first site in Kullapiddy Road, Jaffna in 1994, Venpura has been offering free prosthetic services to people in the NorthEast enabling many to become productive members of the society.
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LTTE demands release of Tamil political detainees

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 October 2002, 12:21 GMT]
The political wing of the Liberation Tigers Thursday called on the Sri Lankan government of Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe to “take urgent and immediate steps” to secure the release of Tamil political detainees who have undertaken a fast unto death since October 1 over their continued incarceration. In a statement issued by its political headquarters in Kilinochchi, the LTTE said the release of the detainees would boost the prevailing atmosphere of peace and goodwill and urged Tamil MPs and human rights groups to take measures to bring this about.
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Polio immunisation targets northeast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 September 2002, 13:27 GMT]
More than three hundred thousand children under five years of age in Sri Lanka’s northeast province were immunized against Polio Saturday, health officials said.
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UK envoy holds discussion with Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 September 2002, 15:14 GMT]
The British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr. Stephen Evans, Friday met the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan at Killinochchi and discussed issues related to development of northeast. A team of officials including Mr. Nicholas Brewer, Director General of Programme, Department of International Development, accompanied the UK envoy.


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Westborg meets Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2002, 20:37 GMT]
Norwegian Ambassador to Colombo, Mr. Jon Westborg held discussions with the Political Wing leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi Wednesday. Sources said the discussions centred around setting up of LTTE Peace Secretariat in the Northeastern Province.
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SLA soldiers in LTTE security zone arrested

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2002, 11:47 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday morning took seven soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army into custody when they entered a security zone between two LTTE camps at Kumburupiddy, 22 km north of Trincomalee town, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission sources said. “All steps are being taken to release the soldiers in view of the prevailing goodwill between both sides,” an LTTE official in Kilinochchi said.
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Chinese Ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 September 2002, 23:00 GMT]
The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Jiang Qinzheng, met the head of the Liberation Tigers’ Political Wing, Mr. S. P. Tamilchelvan Thursday, sources said. The discussions were held at the LTTE’s political headquarters in Kilinochchi.
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NE local government polls postponed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 September 2002, 14:57 GMT]
The Commissioner of Elections Tuesday announced that the local government polls in the Northeast province scheduled for 25 September has been postponed for the second time in a year. According to the notification issued by the Commissioner Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake Tuesday, the elections to Northeast local authorities will be held on 25 June, 2003.
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People's predicament first says LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 September 2002, 22:19 GMT]
(Feature) The first round of formal peace talks between the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) began Monday in the Sattahip Thai Naval base on a positive note though the head of Colombo’s negotiating team laid down in his opening speech non-negotiable elements which, according to him, should be constant in “determining the parameters of the negotiations." The Liberation Tigers, however, desisted from any reference to ‘irreducible principles.’
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TNA urges PM to put off NE local polls

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 September 2002, 16:00 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Wednesday urged Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to postpone elections to local government bodies in the northeast scheduled to be held on 25 September. The polls were postponed in March this year upon a request by the TNA that the situation was not conducive at the time. The Elections Commission said last week that the polls to the local authorities will have to be held as scheduled unless the law is amended.
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Tigers mourn death of senior commander

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 September 2002, 18:36 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in Jaffna Tuesday mourned the death of one of their most senior commanders. The northern town was lined with red and yellow pennants as the dead LTTE commander’s remains were taken to the Jaffna Hindu College where a meeting in homage was held Tuesday afternoon. Col. Raju (Kuyilan), who had served as the special commander of the LTTE’s elite Leopard Commandos and had played a key role in developing the Tigers’ artillery division, died on 25 August due to a terminal ailment, Tiger officials in Jaffna said.
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PM Secretary meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 September 2002, 12:22 GMT]
Prime Minister's secretary and advisor Bradman Weerakone met the head of the Liberation Tigers' political section, S.P. Thamilchelvan at the Political Head Office in Kilinochchi at 10 am Sunday. Mr. Weerakone who arrived in Jaffna Saturday morning, travelled to Vanni by land.
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International help to Vanni demining operations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 August 2002, 00:13 GMT]
The Humanitarian Demining Unit (HDU), a subsidiary of Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) has begun operations in Vanni with modern protective gear provided by the British demining agency Mine Action Group (MAG), UK with the assistance of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
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